September 11 Digital Archive

story2760.xml

Title

story2760.xml

Source

born-digital

Media Type

story

Created by Author

yes

Described by Author

no

Date Entered

2002-09-11

911DA Story: Story

It was supposed to be a very happy day. It was my daughter's 18th birthday! It was the first year that she wasn't at home to celebrate it with us as she was a Freshman at the University of Alabama. I kid her about her birthdays being so dramatic. She was born on the first ever "Grandparent's Day" which made it every special for the new grandparents. And, now, this on her 18th. Because this national tragedy happened on her birthday, we'll never be able to forget it!

I remember the horror as I watched everything unfold in a waiting room in our Outpatient Center. I couldn't believe something like this happened! I was saddened for the families who lost loved ones on the planes as well as in the office buildings. I felt the horror that those jumping out of windows and being trapped on the floors must have felt. I felt the hopelessness that the victims' families must have felt. I went to my office and cried for all of these and myself.

This type of thing made me want to gather all of my family around me to make sure they were safe. It was very hard that my daughter was 3 1/2 hours away. We must have talked on the phone a dozen times that day.

As the days unfolded, I got angry! I got angry at the terrorists who did this! I was angry at media that wouldn't leave the victims' families alone. It's like they all wanted to have the "exclusive" story. I was angry at those who tried to "cash in" on our loss, i.e., gas prices rising a $1.00 a gallon in a matter of several hours, rumors of a huge reduction in gas supplies, so that everyone ran to get gas at these escalated prices, as well as other tactics/products sprang up. I was angry at the money swindling scams that erupted with everyone soliciting funds for the "victims". Many of these were not legitimate.

And, in some way, I have grown to be angry at some of the victims' families. I think it's a sick world we live in when some people try to say their loved one died in the Trade Center to cash in on the money and the person was found to be alive elsewhere. I am also very upset with some of the victims' families that said $1.2 million + just "wasn't enough." Think about all of the people who die everyday in America. Many without any type of savings or life insurance whatsoever. The majority of the people in the World Trade Center and most on the planes were business people employed by big name corporations who provided life insurance free and plans where you could purchase more! No one compensates the ones who die every day without anything. I don't recall that all the victims of the Oklahoma Federal Building bombing getting in the millions of dollars from the government! This was not the governments fault!

Society today needs to learn that tragedies happen for which we are not prepared for. But, life must go on and we do whatever it takes to keep going. No one, but the terrorists are responsible for what happened on 9/11.

If will always be a somber day on September 11. Even as the years roll on and Americans become numb and don't remember as well, I'll always remember for it was also my daughter's 18th birthday!

Jamey Greer
Mobile, AL

Citation

“story2760.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 16, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/19244.